Dr. King's Legacy Lives On
Volunteers assist children participating in MLK Read-In actvities.
As part of the efforts to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students from Winston-Salem State University participated in the annual MLK Read-In Day sponsored by HandsOn Northwest North Carolina at the Benson University Center on the campus of Wake Forest University. Joined by students from Wake Forest and Salem College as well as volunteers from My Sistas Keeper and Big Brothers Big Sisters, the group worked with students from Wiley Middle School and Forest Park Elementary School to help them understand the impact Dr. King had on America and the world.
The middle and elementary school students began their day sitting on the floor watching a video presented by Mütter Evans, a leader for the event, about her trip to the new monument in Washington, D.C. that honors Dr. King. Through the video, she informed students about Dr. King’s life and accomplishments as well as why the monument was built. After the presentation, the children seemed ready and enthusiastic about beginning the day.
Volunteers worked at various locations through the Benson Center manning stations dealing with social media and other activities focusing on Dr. King’s legacy. The volunteers who served as ready buddies were a child’s mentor for the day and helped them through the various stations.
Two of the stations were especially dedicated to Dr. King’s dream and a one station focused on a book about Dr. King’s life and what he did to make his dream a reality. The young students also watched a movie based on the book and were later quizzed to see if they understood what he had stood for.
When Safiya Crocker, one of the WSSU volunteers, asked eight-year-old Micah what she learned from both the book and the movie, Micah said “I learned of Dr. King’s dream and how he stood for his dream though people were against what he believed in. By knowing this, I want to learn more about the trials he had to go through.”
Though named “MLK Read-In Day,” students participated in more events than reading. They had a hacky-sack game in which they tossed the sack to different elements of nutrition like grains, meat and vegetables to help them see what healthy eating is all about. The students also wrote and designed cards for U.S. service members.
The event used the day to help students learn about many things, including Dr. King and the causes he championed. It was a great success and gave the older students and the young students an opportunity to spend time together in meaningful, educational and fun activities in which both groups learned the value of being involved in their community.
